Position Overview:
Responsible for the overall performance of a business area, including P&L accountability, account profitability and client management. As a Director, based in our Singapore office, you will oversee multiple teams within a practice area within the business, with ownership of budget and specific targets for new business acquisition. As part of the regional management team, you will drive the strategic growth of the office by participating in business development activities, the development and retention of staff members, and office operations.
This is a specialist role for someone with a strong background in financial services communications. Someone who understands how the financial ecosystem works and can operate credibly with sophisticated local and international clients.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic Client Leadership: Serve as a senior client advisor, ensuring day-to-day contacts and senior stakeholders are happy with results they are receiving from their client teams. Plan campaigns and strategic programs for clients that align with the client’s overall business objectives.
- Financial Accountability: Take ownership of the budget for your business area, with accountability for revenue targets, profitability metrics, and financial performance. Set and achieve targets for new business acquisition and organic growth of existing clients.
- Team Leadership: Mentor, manage and develop talent at all levels within the practice area. Ensure teams are appropriately staffed at all times and actively participate in employee recruitment and outreach to attract more talent.
- Business Development: Grow existing business and win new business by leading on pitches, networking for leads and identifying opportunities to grow existing accounts. Craft compelling new business and client presentations.
- Practice Expertise: Demonstrate an expert understanding of the business area you are responsible for and how it can support the client’s business goals and objectives, particularly in financial services, technology, and fintech.
- Service Delivery: Regularly monitor delivery of client work, ensuring appropriate servicing levels at all times. Create and monitor client and project budgets, ensuring client teams are adhering to set budgets.
- Performance Reporting: Report on program results to clients regularly, demonstrating success and impact of programs. De-escalate and effectively solve complex client concerns and complaints.
- Process Improvement: Partner with colleagues on the local management team to review, improve and develop company practices, processes and working routines. Drive the implementation of these across the office.
- Internal Marketing: Lead internal marketing activities for the organization at a regional level to generate revenue.
- Agency Integration: Build excellent relationships with other global colleagues to deliver global/international briefs and integrated solutions. Support group strategic initiatives to move up the value chain, grow the business footprint, and integrate digital and AI-driven solutions into client work.
Skills and Experience:
- Senior agency executive with a proven record of shaping business area or agency-wide strategy and performance; possesses extensive experience in full P&L and operational leadership, managing multiple teams or offices, and acting as a principal advisor to boards, CEOs, and the agency’s most senior stakeholders.
- Recognized authority across financial services, insurance, fintech, asset management, wealth, capital markets, technology, and climate/sustainability—with mastery of operational, strategic, and market drivers for clients at executive and board level.
- Routinely provides counsel to boards and executives on complex business and financial communications—including earnings, M&A, IPOs, operational and capital strategies, restructuring, sustainability initiatives, investor relations, regulatory transformation, and business model innovation.
- Sets the agency’s standard for broad industry knowledge, commercial discipline, innovation, and thought leadership—regularly representing the agency at industry events, in trade and business media, and in the market’s biggest conversations.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain influential, trust-based relationships at the highest decision-making levels—trusted in periods of leadership transition, market volatility, reputational risk, and business transformation.
- Leads a culture of partnership, reliability, and openness across the organization—creating alignment among diverse teams and clients and guiding all parties through change and pressure with pragmatism and a focus on shared outcomes.
- Recognized for attracting and developing talent, building inclusive and high-performance cultures, and orchestrating succession planning for business continuity.
- Sets the benchmark for written and spoken communications for the agency; authors and approves strategic messaging for high-visibility programs and market-facing opportunities.
- Ultimate escalation point for crisis or critical market issues—leads integrated rapid response, shapes all major communications, and provides personal stability and gravitas for teams and clients in challenging times.
- Maintains a visible, positive profile in the wider community, supporting agency reputation and securing external strategic partnerships as needed.
Our Identity
Cognito is a full-service communications agency working at the intersection of finance, technology and professional services. We have a strong international footprint with offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific.
Our strength is in our specialization and our clients trust our deep knowledge and expertise. We work with leading global brands and innovative start-ups.
Our global team is deeply connected across international markets, collaborating with journalists, influencers, clients, experts and partners. We help clients strengthen their reputation, and drive business growth by harnessing the power of storytelling and strategic use of earned, paid, shared and owned communications channels.
Continuous learning and curiosity keep us at the forefront of the latest developments, which gives us an edge to cultivate knowledge when working with our clients to communicate what is next.
This starts with our people and our values:
- We celebrate difference by bringing together the best talent from varied backgrounds, tied together by an innate intellectual curiosity to connect meaningfully.
- Through our drive to champion excellence, we strive to lead the way to a connected, sustainable and responsible future.
- We are hungry to understand the problems organizations face.
- We are focused on driving business outcomes for our global clients.
- We are creative and agile – leading to smart strategies and exceptional work.